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tv   News  Al Jazeera  October 11, 2013 5:00am-5:31am EDT

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you are with us here on al jazeera, just moments away from when this year's noble peace prize will be announced. this is the scene in oslo and we should know any second whether malala yousafzai. >> good morning. >> reporter: the taliban victim. >> we decided that the nobel peace prize for 2013 is to be awards to the organization for the prohibition of chemical
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weapons opcw for its extensive work for eliminating chemical weapons. during world war i chemical weapons were used to a considerable degree. the geneva convention prohibited the use but not the projection or storage of chemical weapons. during world war ii chemical weapons were plowed in mass exterminations and chemical weapons have subsequently been put to use on numerous actions by both states and terrorists, m fro 1992-1993 they prohibited the production and storage of such weapons. it came into force in 1997.
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since then they have three inspections and destructions and other means sought the implementation of the convention. 189 states have exceeded to the convention to date. the conventions are the work of opcw and define the use of chemical weapons as a taboo in international law and recently went to syria where chemical weapons have been put to use and underlined the need to enhance the efforts to do away with such weapons. some states are still not members of opcw. certain states have not observed the deadline which was in 2012 for destroying their chemical weapons. this applies especially to the united states and russia. disarmament figures prominently,
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the nobel committee has numerous prizes and the need to obey with nuclear weapons and by the means of the award the opcw, the committee is seeking to contribute to the, elimination of chemical weapons. i will now read the statement for the region. >> reporter: the winner of the 2013 nobel peace prize is not malala yousafzai but the organization for the prohibition of chemical weapons. one would imagine the reason that it became a prominent contender and now the winner would be the headlines it has received recently and the work it's doing in syria and one of
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our correspondents who has been into syria on many occasions and understands the work that these chemical weapons inspectors do is zana and who is in lebanon. the work they are doing there is obviously extremely dangerous. it's extremely complicated as well. what stage are they at with the job they have to do which should be finished by the summer of next year they say? >> that is true. this is the beginning of the process, like you mentioned really, they made headlines because this mission has been described as unprecedented, risky, dangerous. the inspectors have the threat of handling the weapons and are in a war zone and they visited a number of sites and steps have been taken and we also heard the organization say that they will
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need to forge temporary cease fires on the ground if they are to complete the process because some of the chemical plants are in war zones or battle grounds and this is going to be difficult with inspectors facing a risk and have not come under fire and not under attack but the possibility is there. something important to point out, i don't think this will go down well with the people of syria. for them the dismantling of the chemical weapons really does not mean an end to the war. the syria regime uses conventional weapons and death is reported in syria. for people in syria the chemical weapons deal was really nothing more than the international community working for its own national interest, getting rid of these chemical weapons which poses a threat to the united states and its ally israel. >> reporter: so for the second time in two years it has gone to
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a body rather than an individual. 1400 people or there abouts in one particular chemical attack close to damascus in late summer and as you point out hundreds of thousands of people killed elsewhere by more conventional weapons. i'm going to come back to you in just a moment if i may and i'm going to talk to mr. breton, mr. breton gordon who is a chemical weapons consultant and is in turkey and let's talk about the work of the organization since it started i think in 1997, set up as part of the chemical weapons convention. the headlines are about syria but of course the work is worldwide. >> yes, no doubt, you are right. they did an incredible job in iraq taking sadam's chemical
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arsenal out of commission and you say the headlines are about syria and i really echo what your correspondent has been saying. this is a fantastic award for the awcw but things are hinged at a key point with what is happening in syria and have been with the opposition activists and doctors teaching and training them in education about chemical weapons awareness and starting to brief them on what the opc is doing and they are not all supporters and do not see it in the same way that the p 5 and others do and really need to be convinced that taking chemical weapons out of syria is in their best interest and likely to bring some sort of peace. over all i think the opcw deserves and dues a fantastic job but what happens in syria in the next week and month is key
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and with that support it will be a really challenging task. >> reporter: this is not an organization which is largely accepted worldwide and there are a handful of countries which have yet to sign the convention upon which this chemical weapons group was based. among them angola, north korea and sedan and what are problems convincing countries such as this not to join, why would they not want to join this? >> well some of the countries you mentioned had previously been described by others of access of evil and it's important to note that syria has now joined the chemical weapons convention which is why the opcw can go in and do their task but it's generally people who want to use their chemical weapons for their own means and generally against their own people and they do not want to
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join a convection that is going to force them to destroy and get rid of their chemicals and syria signed that and that is why the process is going forward. getting back to the opposition, 7 weeks ago after the attack in al-guta the u.s. and others were having strikes against the regime because of use of chemical weapons and it's a very different story now. and again i think they will take some convincing to support wholeheartedly the destruction of chemical weapons and again as your reporter mentioned some of these story sights are believed to be in contested areas and it's essential that they support and understand why they should support the work, the challenging and difficult work they are doing. >> reporter: looking at the website it looks like they have been largely successful in getting rid of stockpiles in numerous countries and also in eliminating those facilities
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that produce such weapons. >> yes. absolutely. my close experience with them in iraq where they did a fantastic job and they are, as you say supported by most countries in the world. very well qualified, trained people and certainly the job they are doing in syria also very dangerous. so that mandate is -- they have very good protocols and well tried and tested and most of the world seeing that the job that they do is crucial and the elimination of chemical and biological weapons must free people in the world. >> reporter: thank you very much. talking to us there from turkey and he is an expert in chemical weapons and let's return to our correspondent, zana who worked
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extensively inside syria whereas we are mentioning most of the headlines about chemical weapons are emanating from at the moment and they have membership of 190 and budget of $75 million euros and going back to 2010 and by and large apart from what we have seen it slips in under the radar and work quietly but very effectively. >> yes, they do quietly but there is something i would like to point out. the government really has been on the offensive in the north of the country in an area southeast of al-epo city in the country site and major offensive but in that area it's one of the biggest chemical weapons factories in syria and also a factory to produce weapons and it seems that the government is pushing ahead, trying to clear the area from rebels because the
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rebels who are based in this region are linked to al-qaeda and this would be a nightmare scenario for the west for rebels linked to al-qaeda and getting their hands on chemical weapons stockpiles. so we are seeing a massive offensive in an area here and it seems and it's somehow maybe coordinated with the work of the chemical weapons inspectors on the ground. i cannot confirm it but we do know for a fact the biggest chemical weapons factory is in that area and know that the government has been in all out offensive and the bottom line is this, this is a war zone and chemical inspectors work under difficult conditions and in some area contested battle ground. >> reporter: thank you very much indeed and the winner is the organization of the prohibition of chemical weapons and the favorite was malala yousafzai, the 16-year-old girl from pakistan who was shot in
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the head just over a year ago by the taliban. she was advocating women's educational rights in her country and was by far and away the top of the journalists and the bookie list and she did not win, having won the second prize which is the eu presented prize and let's find out what the reaction is and for the second year in an row why it has gone to a body instead of a person and he produced a number of reports on index on censorship on the nobel peace price. good to have you on the program. is it a surprise she didn't win? >> i think it is to a lot of people. it was interesting that yesterday she said herself that she thought that she was too young, she had much more work to do, she didn't perhaps feel herself ready to accept such a
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significant honor. >> reporter: it would have been a great honor for her to have got it, she is 16 years old and the youngest person ever to have got it but her work continues and she is in america and has appeared on talk shows and has won prizes and she seems determined to continue pushing the issues that ended up with her being shot just over 12 months ago. >> i think that is absolutely true and she is not only an inspiration to people in her hometown and country but also to education reformers and teachers and schools and young girls around the world and she is the best known 16-year-old on the planet and she is right. there is really a lot to do. there is 57 million children who should be in school and are not. there is tremendous improvements in the number of children going to schools around the world and
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but the it's still in balance and more than girls than boys going and too many young girls not getting prime school education and the disparity gets bigger in school age and that is something that malala has made absolutely clear and a world challenge and she wants to do her part in changing the situation for the better. >> reporter: what is it saying about the nobel peace prize committee and it has given it again if you like to a worthy group which has over a great many years made the world a better place rather than someone who risks their life and yesterday the taliban said they would go all out to kill her and not because of education status but because she is an anti-islam. >> well, and speaking personally i think that it is often better that she go to the individual.
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the award should go to people who are an inspiration because human rights and peace is something that comes from the individual, from the human heart. and world peace should celebrate people who are an inspiration to people and could make a personal difference on the ground to the situation around them and work locally for global change. >> reporter: we thank you very much indeed. thank you very much. >> you are welcome. >> reporter: out of london. so the nobel peace prize goes to the organization for the prohibition of chemical weapons. second year in a row that a body has one the prize. last year it was the european union, so disappointment in a sense for malala yousafzai, the 16-year-old pakistani girl who was shot by the taliban who had been this year's bookie's favorite. human rights watch accused syrian rebels of killing 190
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civilians during a providence in august and calling for an international investigation. in a report it says at least five rebel groups with links to al-qaeda are responsible for carrying out and planning the attacks on august 4. human rights said it all amounts to war crimes and says 43 of those killed were women, children and elderly and wants the un security council to refer the situation in syria to the international criminal courts where the perpetrators can be held to account on both sides and this is what human rights watch found. >> reporter: he retraces his steps and this is what is left of his home in the villa villag he made a decision to stay with his disabled son and wife who had trouble moving or run. he now has to live with the consequences, both his wife and
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son are dead. >> translator: it's clearly visible and the bullet holes here and here and the blood is splattered on the wall. >> reporter: groups over 20 according to human rights watch launched an offensive in the governor here and the target the president bashir assad power base and people here are al-white a branch to what assad belongs and they attacked the village and particularly this village and it's a strategic post which they have opposition strongholds like the villages and take control of the area and the opposition fighters could move closer to assad's hometown and bear in on the coastal city. and crucial access to the coast when land roots into syria were controlled by different sections. it was a week's long campaign and what happened specifically on august the 4st that is at
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issue here and video posted by opposition groups appears to backup what human rights group says happened. opposition fighters going house to house, in some cases shooting civilians as well as shooting at people trying to get away. human rights watched at least 190 people were killed and around 200 people from the area are still being held hostage. >> the hostage takers continue to hold over 200 individuals from the villages based on opposition sources. we are urging these groups to release the hostages. >> reporter: human right watch says five groups including al-qaeda linked groups were behind the planning, funding and carrying out of the attacks. and it's part of a pattern of abuse that amounts to crimes against humanity and the rights groups found an image in a video what looked like his son lying in bed. it showed the picture to a
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resident who confirmed it was him. and shelby has an idea of what killed his wife and son at the back of the home and the graffiti reads we will win. al jazeera. >> reporter: mentioning in our story that the human rights watch group wants to see this case referred to the international criminal court is a controversial body. the african union debating whether to pull out altogether. a little bit of detail, icc is a treaty based court to prosecute crime against humanity and they have one central argument, the icc they say is based -- biased beg pardon against africa, these are icc investigations in the world including those at the primary stage. you can see that the vast majority of them are on this
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continent and this is taking place in africa involving 25 people all from these numerous, different countries and among them two heads of state. we are seeing that the president bashir and kinyatti leading the campaign to withdraw from icc and said he will cooperate when it comes to his turn to before the court. and our correspondent malcolm webb is live where this meeting is taking place. what is the likelihood of the african union coming out and saying look the icc we had enough, we are putting out? >> well, we are yet to find out the meeting has just started. foreign ministers are here today and they will be deciding what presidents are going to sign tomorrow. several countries that are allied to kenya and kenya's
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neighbors have been critical of the international criminal court in resent weeks and the meeting was started with an opening statement from the ethiopian minister and said the international criminal courts have been treating africa and africans unfairly and in a condescending manner and they seem lesson the side of the idea of pulling out of the icc or even condemning the icc at all and the african union has to reach consensus to make a statement so what is agreed today will decide on whether or not they can make any move from here. >> reporter: consensus could mean general agreement and what is the actual position, do we have to see a simple majority of those of the african union voting to withdraw or a certain position of unimitity. >> consn consensus for a
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statement and could recommend that all of its members were retracted from the international criminal court. and that would be the most extreme position and even so that wouldn't effect the ongoing trials of african people and leaders who are already in process. what they are much more likely to get out of this is possibly a victory in the propaganda war against the criminal court and consensus away against the international criminal court handled african places and a blow to the court and also the next days that these african unions have -- can hope to get it to from here is bring it to the attention of the united nations security council which has more jurisdiction over what the international criminal court actually does. >> malcolm you will keep us up to date no doubt and thank you and reporting from ethiopia. the united nations security council adopted a resolution
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asking the un to consider establishing a peace keeping force in the african republic and hundreds have been killed since march and james sent this report. >> reporter: this is a country effectively in free fall and u.n. officials will say if it's not failed it will be soon. and it took control earlier in the year is splintering and tighting itself and a humanitarian emergency and they unanimously voted on a new resolution supporting the strength in the u.n. political mission in the country and african peace keeper whose are supposed to take control an order but the french ambassador said it will be extremely hard and one factor is the presence of the lord's resistance army, that group that first started in uganda in parts of the war. >> it's square and we know now
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that the terrorist group is using this part of the country and has a stronghold and obviously the challenges are important. >> reporter: the new resolution gives the u.n. secretary general moon 30 days to come up with a full report on the situation inside the country. one possible recommendation he could make is converting the current peace keeping force of african troops go a u.n. peace keeping mission. >> reporter: the u.s. president had another meeting with the republican rivals to try to sort out a deal to temporarily raise the u.s. debt limit and nothing has been done and the u.s. will default on payments as early as thursday if nothing is done and allen reports from washington d.c. >> back on capitol hill after 19 minute meeting with the president a suggestion that discussions to raise america's debt limit are finally getting somewhere. >> the take away from me was our
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teams are going to be talking further tonight. we will have more discussion. we will come back to have more discussion. the president said he would go and consult with the administration folks and hopefully we can see a way forward after that. >> reporter: and he was reported republicans offered a short-term deal and raise the debt ceiling for six weeks in exchange for discussions on other financial issues and the white house did not immediately dismiss the issue but wanted a longer deal with no strings attached. >> the president said the other day if they send them a clean debt ceiling no strings attached he would sign it. >> reporter: this was after they told the senate committee failure to raise the debt limit could be a disaster because the u.s. government is a week away from running out of money and the $16.7 trillion and it has
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been taking extraordinary measures to keep paying the bills and all that will stop on october 17. he told the committee the government has big bills to pay and to the military and elderly and interest on its debt. if it can't pay its bills the u.s. is in default. >> unfortunately today we face a manufactured political crisis that is beginning to deliver an unnecessary blow to our economy when the economy and american people have pain stake enly fought back since the great depression. >> reporter: it had a catastrophic impact on the economy and a sharp fall in the value of the dollar and u.s. interest rates will rise and make mortgages and loans more expensive and slower economic growth in the u.s. which almost will mean a hit for growth in other global markets. talks are to continue, positions
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to be discussed and finally after days of pointing the finger and laying blame things seem to be finally moving, allen fisher al jazeera. >> reporter: and some government services will be closed since october the 1st and that is hurting people across the united states. >> ann lucas is supposed to be in her lab to make sure contact lenses are not causing infection to blind people but she is here in the rain with other furloughed workers. >> frustrated, bored, angry, cold and wet now. >> reporter: their chance ignored and the court demanding the court reopen is growing across the country and michelle lackman a new mom and cancer patient cannot start a new experiment by the government. >> and the clinical trial and being excited and at the same
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time was told it would be put on hold because of the government shut down was just a big blow. . >> announcer: we will return to this program after m
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